Lives Unlived
by sashsweetie
Summary: Based on the post-Serenity information that Inara had a terminal illness. Flashbacks to better times.  Inara/Kaylee, Inara/Mal, Kaylee/Simon
1. Introduction

I held her as she died.

We sat in the field, her head in my lap, her breathing shallow and then, finally, not at all.

"She's gone" River whispered, the tears streaming down her face mirroring my own. She lifted Inara's still-warm hand to her lips and kissed it reverently, a last farewell, then got to her feet and drifted back to the ship, leaving me my privacy.

I gathered her wasted body into my arms and sobbed into her hair. _How could this happen?_


	2. First Impressions

Curiously, Kaywinnit Lee Frye had found herself struck dumb by the beautiful and mysterious Companion the Captain had introduced earlier. Not a great many things in this 'Verse did that to Kaylee, so she found it a bit of an anomaly. _Inara._ She whispered the name quietly, enjoying the way it rolled off her tongue. She hoped the woman wasn't too stand-offish. She was probably used to much higher-class company than the crew of _Serenity_. Kaylee sighed and put down the tool she was tinkering with. Maybe she would go say hello. Introduce herself properly. Her daddy had brought her up to be polite, after all.

When she got there, the shuttle door was ajar, pretty music drifting out. Kaylee knocked lightly, peeking around it. "Hello?"

Inara appeared a moment later, her hair falling in soft, black curls around her face. She had changed into a beautiful robe, but Kaylee couldn't bring herself to look anywhere but at her face. She was just so...

A smile broke out across Inara's face as she saw the mechanic at her door. "Kaylee" she said warmly.

Kaylee blinked, realising she'd been staring. "I..." she swallowed. "I wanted to introduce myself properly." Inara's smile grew, and she reached out a hand, placing it on the mechanic's back to guide her into the shuttle. Kaylee jumped. "Don't!" she blurted, and then... "I mean, I'm all dirty." She blushed and looked at the floor.

Inara chuckled and steered the small blonde into her new home. "I'll make some tea." She'd been hoping one of the crew would come and visit her.

Kaylee's eyes widened as she took in the piles of rich fabrics and the luscious rugs beneath her feet. Forgetting all about her oily fingers she ran them over the beautiful silks, drinking in the colours and textures. "Oh my God" she murmured absently.

Inara observed her with interest. "Would you like to help me decorate?" she questioned.

Kaylee whirled around. "Really?" her voice was laced with disbelief. Inara nodded.

"I'd be glad of the company."

Kaylee was unsure. What if she damaged the Companion's beautiful things? She couldn't begin to imagine how much all of this cost.

Inara could apparently see the indecision in her face. "Well, come and sit down, anyways. I'll make some tea."

Kaylee nodded. That she could do. Taking a seat on an extremely comfortable pillow, she looked around the room with interest until Inara presented her with a delicate porcelain cup. "It's jasmine." She settled herself on a pillow nearby. "So how did you come to be on board _Serenity_, Kaylee?"

Kaylee blushed at the memory. "That's a bit of an embarrassing story." She mumbled.

"Oh." Inara sipped her tea in silence.

"Let's just say that I was in a...compromising...position when I met the Captain, but I fixed the engine so he offered me a job." She sighed happily. "And how could I turn down the opportunity to work on this beautiful girl?" she looked around at the shuttle's walls lovingly.

Inara smiled in understanding. "I know how you feel. I saw this shuttle and just had to live here."

"Really!" Kaylee squeaked.

"Yes." Inara affirmed.

Kaylee fought off the urge to hug the stunning woman. Anyone who loved _Serenity_ like she did was obviously a friend.

She ended up staying to decorate. It wasn't until Inara pointed out they should probably join the others for dinner that she realised how long she'd been in the Companion's quarters. Kaylee smiled inwardly as they made their way to the galley. While she loved Zoë dearly, she was ever so pleased to have another woman on board – _especially_ a woman like Inara!


End file.
